


Your Best Friend

by Wes_Sirius



Category: Swapfell - Fandom, Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Friendship, Mild Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-07
Updated: 2019-11-07
Packaged: 2021-01-24 14:53:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21340042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wes_Sirius/pseuds/Wes_Sirius
Summary: My very first Undertale work. As the human child transverses through a world where the sole rule is "kill or be killed", they meet a young monster and they slowly start to take a shine to each other.
Kudos: 4





	Your Best Friend

**Author's Note:**

> Keep in mind, this is my very first Undertale work, so I apologize for it sounding unprofessional at certain points. Enjoy!

As you leave the snow and frost behind you, you seem to have entered a completely different world. Dark granite replaces dirt, and shiny crystals take the place of snow and twigs. Soft light from the crystals seems to illuminate the quiet hall. The sound of rushing water fills you with determination.

“Well, here we are; Waterfall.” Temmie whispers from your backpack. “There aren’t a lot of monsters here, so it should be easy for you. B-But,” His tone drops. “We still have to watch out for Captain Alphys. She patrols this area, and she isn't going to be talked down easily.”

“I heard.” You answer. “The skeletons told me about her.” You recall their descriptions of this monster:

* * *

_ “YOU MAY THINK ALPHYS IS MERCILESS AND FIERCE, BUT IN TRUTH, HUMAN, SHE IS ANYTHING BUT. PLEASE UNDERSTAND.” _

_ “look, kid, i know you think alphys is the drill sergeant rumors make her out to be, but that's just an act. she's not happy, at all. you've shown mercy to me and the dogs. i hope you can do the same to her. please understand.” _

* * *

You still doubt their words. She is the Captain of the Guard, right? Why wouldn't she be happy to get your soul? Regardless, the dangers that loom before you fill you with determination. You continue to press on.

As you continue onwards, you find two monsters, one familiar and the other not. Asriel Dreemurr, prince of monsterkind. He seems to be staring off into the distance, at the direction you're headed towards. The unfamiliar monster resembles a red fish, and he is standing beside a large blue flower. Despite the presence of two monsters being a little dangerous, you decide to step in and inspect the flower. It looks like a normal flower, nothing more. How disappointing.

“This is an Echo Flower.” You jump as the fish monster suddenly mutters. “It repeats the last thing it hears.” As you put your ear close, you can hear a quiet voice whispering what the fish monster said. Very fascinating.

You hear Temmie snort. “Boring!”

“Boring!” The flower echoed back.

“Oh, hey, it’s you.” You turn around to face the goat prince. He is now looking at you. “You're the human that appeared in Snowdin, aren’t you?”

You nod. Asriel rolls his eyes. “I still can’t believe Sans let you go. Sans is lazy, sure, but he’s captured every human that he crossed paths with, no questions asked.”

Frankly, you still cannot believe that Sans spared you. You just kept conversing with him, making witty remarks and awkward flirts, and hoped for the best. You give Asriel an awkward smile, “I couldn’t believe it either. I just waited for him to give up, I guess.”

“Hmph, whatever. You're just lucky.” Asriel turns away from you. “But I'm sure that luck is going to run out as you go on. Have fun getting through Alphys, idiot.”

“Rude.” Temmie mumbles.

“Whatever. I'm heading into Waterfall now.” Asriel takes a step forward, but he stops and looks back at you. “Wanna come with me?”

As you look into the goat monster’s purple eyes, you can see behind that “tough bully” mask a flutter of the spirit of an innocent child. In fact, he reminds you of your friend in the children’s home. Maybe, like Sans, you can convince this monster to give up his tough mask. You give him an eager nod.

Asriel smirks, “Then what are you waiting for? Don’t tell me humans are slower than monsters!” Asriel dashes down the path, his royal robe flailing behind him. You smile, while Temmie groans, “What a brat.”

“Don’t say that.” You chastise him. Temmie is never one to warm up to others quickly. You fasten your pack and run down the path too, with Asriel in front of you. It isn’t long before you two reach a bundle of tall grass. Asriel grumbles at the sight, “Ugh, I always hated bustling through this grass. Leaves get stuck to my robe all the time.”

“Well, there’s no other way, unless you want to hop into the water and swim across.” The current of rushing water tells you that swimming is out of the question.

“Not in a million years! I'm not gonna get my robe wet either!” He begins to push the tall grass aside and wade through. You follow after him. You two are almost through when you hear the echo of metal booming against the ground. Out of instinct and fear, you hold on to Asriel’s hand. He stops, turning back to you. “What’s wrong?” His expression then scrunches into worry as the metal clanks again, “Oh, I see now…”

You crouch down, hoping to hide among the grass. Without a word, Asriel does the same too. You hear the sound of boots scraping against the dirt before you hear a familiar voice speak,  “alphys.”  The strangers seem to be on a plateau higher than where you are.

“State your business.” A distorted voice replies. Clearly it has been modulated.

“yeah, about that human i told you…”  Sans seems hesitant; hesitant to tell his superior that he let you go.

“Did you capture them?” Alphys asks immediately. Impatient.

“i did, alph! i did.”  Sans barks quickly.  “b-but, they escaped while i was out patrolling the woods. they’re probably i-in ho-”  You hear a shrill exclamation of “ **WHAT?” ** from Alphys. Sans’ voice disappears in an instant. You feel yourself shivering vigorously without thinking. Asriel has his eyes focused on the top of the wall, and on the conversation. He is the prince, after all, and has no reason to fear this terrifying Alphys.

“Sans, what the hell?” Alphys roars. “How could you be so irresponsible? Do you realize this kid is what we need to set us free once and for all? And now with them running amok, they will kill the Queen and take her soul and leave! And who’s to say they won’t dust some of us…”

“t-the kid’s good! they ain’t like the others! they haven’t hurt a single s-”  You hear a loud thud. The floor seems to vibrate slightly. Sans was silenced again.

“That doesn't change the fact that they can get us out of here once and for all.” Alphys cuts him off with a condescending, militaristic tone. “Head back to Snowdin this instant. I will take care of this.”

“alph, there's…”  You nearly scream at the sound of thunder crackling. Even Asriel seems terrified now. You muster all your willpower to keep quiet as you continue to listen. “Head back. To Snowdin. This instant.”

“…understood. **Stay safe,** **cap**.” The air is filled with the scent of winter mint; Sans’ magic. Your heart is pounding within you as you rise slightly from your position. Grass rustles as you look around. _Surely, it’d be safe now…?_

Wrong.

“What the-?!” You flop back down on crouching as Alphys’ boots clank against the ground. You hear the low rumble of distant thunder. Surely, this has to be it…

“Whoever is there,” Alphys begins. “This is your first and last warning to show yourself.”

You don't know what to do. It's obvious that you can't show yourself to her, but what else can you do? Her patience will run out and she'll force you to appear, one way or another.  _ Come on, think, Chara! Think! _

“Howdy!” You hear someone chirp. You look up and see Asriel standing straight, with his hands on his hips. “It's me, Captain Alphys!”

“Oh…” Her voice quietens. You're not sure whether you should thank him, compliment his bravery or call him stupid. “Hi, your Highness. I-I'm sorry for my harsh words just now; I thought it was the human intruder.”

“Wait, human intruder?” Asriel fakes a surprised tone. “Really?”

“Yeah, a real human. You ought to stay at the castle, Asriel. With a human running around, it's not safe to be outside.”

“Yeah, yeah, humans are powerful menaces and all. Don't worry for me, I'll be fine.”

“Pl-Please just stay safe, your Highness.” And with that, Alphys walks away, with the clanking of her armor being your cue. Once she's (probably) out of sight, you rise up from your hiding spot and look at Asriel. “Th-Thank you, for saving my skin just now. One wrong move and I'd be toast.”

“Being the prince can net you some neat advantages.” Asriel puffs his chest with pride. “Now that that’s over, I’ll head off in another direction. You probably shouldn’t follow me, since there will be a lot of monsters in that path. Unless, yeah, you want to die.” He chuckles at his own dark joke. “Have fun solving the puzzles ahead, human.”

You nod. You are about to pull away when you realize something.  _ Asriel knows I'm a human, the one wanted by the Royal Guard. And yet he didn’t…  _ You tug on Asriel’s arm again. He looks back at you, “What now?”

“Why did you spare me?” You ask in a quiet voice.

“Chara, what are you up to?” Temmie whispers, but you keep your focus on Asriel. “You know I'm the human wanted by Alphys. You could’ve told her I'm with you. Why did you keep quiet?”

The goat monster looks away. His expression shifts into…sympathy? But it was only for a small window, as he looks back up with a smirk, “I-I don’t want the fight to end so quickly, of course! You’d be at a disadvantage if I exposed you just now. I want a fair, epic fight, not a wimp one!” His tone is faltering. Despite that, you nod, “Anyway, thank you for sparing me.”

“Don’t mention it.” Asriel turns away. “See you later…if I'm not dusted that is.” But he  _ is _ the royal prince; monsters probably won’t dare to put a finger on him. Nevertheless, you continue onward. A feeling of dread hangs over you, but you stay determined.

**Several puzzles, battles, and lore expansions later…**

Your feet are feeling sore again. Although Sans told you that Waterfall is relatively smaller and less populated, you feel like you’ve been trekking for days. Without much thought, you slump down and rest against a wall. In your exhaustion, the flow of water sounds like a lullaby tempting you to sleep.

“Tired?” Temmie asks.

“What does it look like to you?” You sass back.  _ I thought it’s obvious enough I am. _

“Geez, chill.” Temmie retreats back into your pack. As you close your eyes, you think back about the legend told by the signs scattered throughout.  _ The war was one-sided; monsters were massacred, and not a single human was killed and their soul taken.  _ You begin to wonder if the monsters’ hatred against you and your kind is justified. After all, it is the humans’ fault that they have been trapped in this prison for goodness knows how long, with only so many resources for them to survive on, and they may never see the sun again. Maybe, their plan to wipe out humanity may be for the best.  _ I’ve seen with my own eyes how humans are like. _

You turn your eyes slightly to look at Temmie, who’s staring into… nothing. You're tempted to ask him what he thinks about the war – no, the genocide – but it may be a sensitive topic for him. It’s a sensitive topic to every monster, really.

You tug off your pack and reach into it. Temmie finally jolts up from his daydreaming. “Hey, what?”

“Just finding something to eat.” You bring out one of the two “Cinnamon Bunnies” that you got from the shop in Snowdin. Monster food, being made of mainly magic, doesn’t fill your tummy as much as normal food does, but it is enough to keep you satisfied for a while. You tear a piece off and offer it to Temmie, but he shakes his head. “I don’t really need food. I just eat it cuz’ it’s good.”

You shrug and eat the entire bun. The magic flows through your body, and you stand up, filled with energy. You close your pack and continue on. It isn’t long before you reach a lone stone statue sitting in a corner of the hallway. The water splashing from the falls is falling on it, making it wet. It seems to resemble a monster you can’t recognize. The plaque on the stone base has long corroded, making the name engraved indecipherable. Two spikes are protruding out of a corner of what you assume is the head of the monster.

“C-Can we move on?” Temmie doesn’t sound happy. You look down at him, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, just…” He looks away. He doesn’t look happy either. “Can we please just go?”

You feel worried, but you obey and walk on. Why is Temmie making haste? Does he not like the statue? Does it remind him of something he doesn’t like? You decide not the question it and move on.  _ We can talk about it later, when he’s in a better mood. _

The water splashing down nearly tricks you into believing there is a rain. Thankfully, there is a  _ very convenient  _ trash can filled with umbrellas nearby. You take a pink one and open it up. There are a few holes in the canopy, and some of the spokes were bent or broken, but you are grateful you have something to keep your head dry. Before you can take a step, however, you hear hasty footsteps behind you. You turn around to see a blur of purple coming towards you.

“Howdy!” Asriel chirps as he catches up to you. “Good job on staying alive. I thought you’d be dusted.”

“You can’t be serious.” Temmie growls at his dark joke, while you just frown at it. Asriel catches on and just sighs while patting your shoulder, “Fine, I was just kidding. If you managed to get through Sans with only a few scratches, I'm sure the idiots around here can’t do much to you.”

_ Am I supposed to take that as a compliment?  _ You simply nod and begin to head forward. Asriel grabs another umbrella and follows, and swiftly overtakes you. “See you there, pipsqueak!”

“How bratty can this kid be?” Temmie sneers. You pay no heed to the comment and pick up your pace, until you meet up with Asriel in front of a massive cliff.

“Careful, man, this cliff can be pretty steep.” Asriel folds up his umbrella and puts it on the ground. “Better grab onto any rocks you can find.” He begins to climb up, grabbing any rocks that happened to be jutting out of the cliff. You put down your own umbrella and begin to climb as well. You suddenly regret buying so many Nicecreams from the strange blue bunny in Snowdin as your grip on a rock nearly slips, but you keep your focus and it isn’t long before you two arrived on the summit. Despite that, your arms and knees scream for a short rest and you remain spread out on the floor face-up, like a cloth being dried.

“First time climbing?” Asriel asks in a smug tone.

“Not really,” You did climb up ladders a few times back in the Ruins while trying to pass the “don’t step on the leaves” puzzle. Despite that and the numerous battles against monsters, physical activity still isn’t your niche. “But this is still really tiring.”

“Jeez, and I thought all those fights would’ve been a good workout for you.”  _ Oh, Asriel, if only that were the truth…  _ You sigh as you continue to lie down. Dirt is surprisingly comfortable to sleep on, but before you fall to the temptation, you rise back up and flex your fingers. “Let’s go.”

You and Asriel continue walking until the dark stone walls around you got replaced by a wide view of a dark sea. You have exited the cavern, and are now out in the open. Crystals hang on the ceiling above you, creating the illusion of a night sky dotted by stars. As you look at the view beside you, you see an enormous castle in the distance. You look at Asriel, who seems mesmerised.

“Look,” He points a finger at the castle. “It’s the royal castle, where Mom and I live!”

“So that’s your home.” Even from a distance, you can tell the color of the castle walls is a lifeless hue of lavender that has long faded. It doesn’t look as ominous as you imagined it, or maybe you’ve just been playing too much video games.

“Yeah. It sits right in the middle of the monster capital.” Asriel sits down on the dirt path, letting his legs dangle above the sea. You decide to do the same. “Most of the monsters live in the capital.”

“I see.” You put down your pack and gently pull Temmie out. He squeaks and then begins to wriggle around in your hands, “Hey, what are you doing?”

“Letting you enjoy the view with us.” You reply as you hug him close to your chest. After some more futile squirming, he eventually settles down within your hold and remains silent. You begin to daydream about what dangers you will face on the way to the castle, and Queen Toriel. Obviously, there’s Alphys who’s currently out for your soul, and then there’s this “Undyne” person that Papyrus offhandedly mentioned during your hangout in Muffet’s parlor. You wonder if they are actively hunting for you too. You are basically wanted by the entire underground, except for Temmie, the skeletons and Asriel. Wonderful.

You look at Asriel, who is currently twiddling his fingers. You wonder why a royal prince who has a hundred servants under his thumb and can do anything he pleases would journey out to a quiet bog far away from his home, alone. You look at Temmie for a moment as you hesitate, but you make up your mind and nudge Asriel gently. “Hey, Asriel?”

The prince looks up at you, “Sup?”

“Why did you come to Snowdin and Waterfall?” You begin to ask. “Correct me if I'm mistaken, but I'm pretty sure you're comfortable at home, at the castle. You have servants who will attend to whatever you need, and no one would dare to oppose or fight you. Why do you come out here?”

Asriel’s carefree expression sags.  _ Oh god, I hope I didn’t press any of his buttons. _ This is definitely a question that hits home for him. After a few moments of tense silence, he looks back at you, this time with a forlorn expression. “I…I don’t like being at the castle.”

You are very confused, and yet, at the same time, you can somewhat understand where he’s coming from. “Why not?”

“I mean, you're not wrong; the servants always take care of me, but sometimes it gets really boring, you know? Waking up in the same bed, walking around the same halls, eating the same breakfast, reading the same books, you get what I mean. I want to be a little more adventurous, you know? I…” Asriel waves his hands around as he tries to come up with good words. “I don’t want to be trapped in home, forever… pampered and stuff! I want to see other things outside!” He nearly yells out loud on the last sentence. But as he swiftly calms down, the spark inside him dies down and his expression shifts back into forlorn. “I don’t want to be spoiled just because I'm privileged. Is being normal too much to ask for?”

You smile sadly at him. He is going out of his way to not be spoiled by his privileges.  _ I really need to give him credit, for trying to be someone special in this hellish place. _ He rings a bell to you; your friend in the children’s home, they were just like him. Despite having to try to survive in a less than decent world, both of them persevere to be a better person. You pat his back gently, “It’s really amazing of you, going out of your way to not be spoiled. Keep it up.”

You swear you see a faint purple glow through his white fur as he smiles back. “Thank you.” He looks back at the castle again. “No one has ever told me that.”

“Then I guess I'm the first one.” You smile again. “What do your servants think about your outings?”

“They just nag me and say a lot of boring stuff like how dangerous it is to head out alone and whatnot. Oh please,” He puts a proud palm to his chest. “I'm Asriel Dreemurr! Monsters can’t dust me that easily, if they dared at the first place! I'm not a wineglass that’d crack at the slightest push.”

“Guess that’s the prince of monsterkind to you.” You chuckle.

“You bet!” He faces you with a big grin, swelling with pride. Both of you share a laugh, before going back to enjoying the view. You soon notice, however, that Temmie’s been strangely silent, even more so than around others. He can’t have fallen asleep, can he? You look down and see that yes, he has been in deep sleep within your arms, and throughout your bantering with Asriel. You decide to leave him be; dolls need rest, too.

You look back at the castle, wondering if you can escape alive. So many monsters out for your soul, so little help; the odds seem to be against you.  _ But I won’t lose hope! I just have to stay determined and believe.  _ Temmie promised he’d help you escape, and you won’t lose faith in him. The resolve fills you with determination.

It is inevitable, however, that you will have to duel against Queen Toriel soon. She guards the barrier. You really want to find another way that doesn’t involve killing her and taking her soul. What will become of monsterkind without her? What will become of Asriel, her child? Now that you’ve become close to some of the monsters, dilemmas and hesitation are slowly creeping up.

You look at Asriel, and suddenly a question forms in your mind. You haven’t heard much about Queen Toriel; in fact, no one has. She remains silent and highly secretive, so much that not even Sans, a high-ranking lieutenant of the Guard, has heard much about her. Maybe Asriel, being her child, would know more.

But would it be a good question to ask him? Asriel seems reluctant to share about his life in the castle, and it may be for a good reason.  _ I can ask, but I’ll have to be careful with my wording and not push his buttons.  _ You muster up your courage and nudge Asriel again, “Asriel, can I ask you something again?”

“What’s up?” He responds with jovial energy, only stinging you with more guilt.  _ Here goes nothing,  _ “How is your mother, Queen Toriel, like?”

Like pressing the power button of a computer, Asriel’s expression falters again and he looks away from you. He brings his knees up and rests his head on them, avoiding your gaze. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to ask him that after all. You scoot closer to him, “He-Hey, I'm sorry. You don’t have to answer that if you don’t want to, okay? I reall-”

“No,” Asriel grabs your wrist with one hand to silence you as he looks back up. “No, it’s-it’s okay. I'm not uncomfortable with it. It’s just…” He hesitates again. “It just brings up bad memories, is all.” He whispers. You feel pity for him; you have yet to see him this emotionally down. You are starting to regret asking this as he continues, “Mom is…withdrawn, most of the time. She doesn’t show a lot of emotion or talk a lot, and mostly just nods at whatever we say. She has good days…”

* * *

_ Asriel beamed, his developing teeth showing, as he looked at the completed toy soldier model, carved, assembled and painted all by himself. The first toy, created by his own hands! He couldn’t be any happier right now. He had to show this to Mom. She would be so proud of him. _

_ Asriel ran out of his room and raced down the halls. Mommie should be in the throne room right now. He nodded at the few servants who greeted him in acknowledgement. He could barely stop shaking with excitement. There it is, the throne room! He was about to dash right in when one of the two guards at the entrance gestured him. “Hey, Prince Asriel!” _

_ Asriel caught himself just in time, and looked up at the giant armored monster, “Hello, guard!” _

_ “Your highness, I'm afraid you cannot see your mother right now.” The other guard, a pig monster, explained to Asriel with a gentle tone. “She is talking to someone right now.” _

_ Asriel stepped back from the entrance arch.  _ What a bummer. _ As he looked into the throne room, he could see another armored monster standing near Mom, who was sitting at her throne. _

_ “Apparently, he and his brother, Papyrus, just appeared in Snowdin one day and…asserted themselves.” The monster spoke as she flipped through a file in her paws. She had her helmet off, allowing Asriel to identify her as a dog monster. “Sans can be quite the jester sometimes, pulling pranks on fellow soldiers and Snowdin locals, and he tends to put off work until Captain Alphys nags him about it, but his attack skills are very impressive, surpassing most of us by far.” _

_ “Fascinating.” Asriel could barely hear his mother mumble. As always, she looks like she hasn’t slept until midnight. Her fur may be kept tidy, but her hollow eyes and the dark marks under them gave it away. Asriel was worried for his mother; she seems to look worse day by day. Worst of all, he didn’t even know why his mother was so exhausted every day. He constantly believed it was work and other official stuff, but something in the back of his mind told him it was more than that. _

_ “Get this skeleton here to see me tomorrow. I want to personally witness his abilities.” His mother commanded the armored monster, before waving her away. The monster nodded and began to walk away. Finally, Asriel can go and see Mom. _

_ “Greetings, your Highness.” The dog monster greeted Asriel with a big smile, which he returned with another one. Without wasting another second, he ran into the throne room as quickly as his legs could carry him. “Mom, Mom!” He felt his heart flutter a little when he saw his mother smile happily when she saw him. Seeing his mother happy was always a blessing and a relief. _

_ “My child!” Toriel got off her throne and hunched down to scoop up her son for a hug. Despite the war going on, just seeing her beloved Asriel makes her day swell with color. “What brings you here?” _

_ “Mom, look at this! I made it all by myself!” Asriel beamed with pride as he showed the soldier toy in his hands. He observed as his mother’s eyes widened in surprise, a contrast to her usual sleepiness, before she took the soldier from his hands and began to inspect it, testing his arms and taking off his helmet, all while smiling.  _ She loves it, she loves it! _ Asriel couldn’t wait for her response. _

_ After a while, his mother laughed as she returned the soldier to Asriel and patted his head, “Oh, Azzy, I am so proud of you. Making a toy with your own hands? You are so talented.” _

_ Asriel grinned so widely until his jaw started to grow sore. He was in seventh heaven right now, and he had no intentions of coming down. Two weeks of work wasn’t for waste. Without hesitation, he dashed up to his mother and hugged her again, resting his head against her chest. “Thank you, Mom! I'm so happy you like it. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I love you.” _

_ “I love you too, Asriel.” The prince smiled and let time dissipate as he felt his mother embrace back.  _ Today is the best day of my life!

* * *

You can see Asriel smiling somewhat sadly. Maybe he was reminiscing about a wonderful memory? But you decide to not interrupt and ask about it as he continues.

“She has bad days…”

* * *

_ “You have three minutes to explain to me why my child returned home like THIS.” Asriel shivered and hiccupped as his mother pointed a finger at the fresh bandages on his ears and his bruised eye. His mother was clearly furious, and not even he could possibly soothe her when she’s like this. _

_ “I-I-I'm so sorry, your Majesty.” The dragon monster was on his knees and bowed down until his head touched the scorched floor. “The prince was already f-fighting when I and 01 arrived, an-and we couldn’t de-defuse the situation.” _

_ “Pathetic whelp.” Asriel jumped when his mother slammed a palm on the armrest of her throne. The soldier began to shiver, too. “You and your partner cannot take care of five little children? How do you expect yourself to be able to protect fellow monsters in Hotland?” Slivers of smoke seeped out from her under her palms. “I ought to kick you out of the Guard if this is the case.” _

_ “N-No, your Majesty, please have mercy!” The soldier began to bow profusely. Each time his head contacted the floor, Asriel could hear a loud thump. “This job is the only thing keeping my sister and mother afloat! There’s nothing else I can do! This is the only job I have. Please don’t do this…” _

_ “The duty of the Royal Guard is to help the helpless and to stop criminals.” Asriel could hear his mother no longer sounding as angry, but the smoke still continued to float out. “If you cannot handle mere children, how do you expect yourself to handle criminals who will not hesitate to dust you and others on sight?” _

_ “I-I…please k-k-ke-keep us, your M-M-Majes-t-t-ty…” The dragon soldier’s voice began to break apart as he sobbed. “Show mer-mercy, please…” _

_ “No, this simply cannot be waved away. From now on,” Toriel pointed at the soldier. “You are no longer part of the Guard. You can strip your armor and go home.” _

_ The soldier looked up at her, a mixture of shock, horror and disbelief brewing in his wet eyes. It wasn’t long before he began to bow profusely again. “No, your Majesty, please give me another chance! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I won’t let this happen again, I swear to the Angel! Don’t do th-” _

_ “ _ ** _Get out of here now._ ** _ ” Asriel squealed as a row of magic flames burst into life around his mother. The tension was rising as quickly as the heat. The dragon soldier could only gawk on in slack-jawed terror as Toriel stood up from her throne. “ _ ** _You have no place in the Guard anymore._ ** _ ” _

_ The throne room was deadly silent for seconds as both Asriel and the soldier watched Toriel closely. One wrong move from either of them and she might unleash her flames on the unfortunate soldier, as if kicking him out wasn’t bad enough of a punishment. _

_ It was then Asriel decided, he had had enough of standing at the sidelines, staying silent when he could do something to calm his mother down. He can’t let her go on like this, he can’t. He ran up to his mother and grabbed onto her purple cloak. “Mom, please don’t be like this.” He finally let his floodgates loose and shed tears that he had been holding in. “You're scaring the soldier. Don’t do this to him. Why don’t you let hi-him prove himself? I-I'm sure he won’t let it happen again.” _

_ After a few moments, Asriel felt the heat around them disappearing, before his mother enclosed him in an embrace. He continued to sob uncontrollably as his mother whispered into his bandaged ears, “Asriel, please do not insert yourself into this. Be a good child and go to your room.” _

_ “N-No, I'm not gonna leave.” Asriel began to hiccup. “I-I don’t want to leave you wh-when you're angry. I want to-to stay.” _

_ He heard his mother sigh as she pulled him closer. His tears ran down his cheeks, wetting his fur. “Do not cry, Asriel. It is okay…” And that was the last thing he heard before he focused solely on holding onto his mother to make sure she doesn’t hurt anyone. _

* * *

“B-But yeah, she’s ju-just so-and-so these days.” His tone is definitely breaking down. It is obvious he was scarcely holding back from bawling his eyes out. You feel immense pity for him. It is clear that he has been through some rough days, and he needs some comfort after remembering them.

You put Temmie down on the floor, and without further hesitation, you wrap your arms around Asriel, embracing him. You hear him squeak loudly before he shifts around within your hold, “Wh-What are you doing?”

“I'm sure you don’t feel happy after recollecting whatever you went through.” You whisper. Frankly, you are on the verge of opening your waterworks too. “I want to at least comfort you, after you shared that.” You begin to rub his back as you close your eyes. Some silence follows before Asriel gives a wavering chuckle and returns the embrace. “Y-You really are an idiot…”

You say nothing, and continue to hug him. After all of that, he truly deserves some solace. You wish you don’t have to pull away, you want to keep him company, but you loosen your hold and allow Asriel to pull away after you feel him trying to do so. As you look at him, you can see some of the fur on his face damp with tears. You reach for the napkin the receptionist of the Snowdin inn gave you and gently wipe his face.  _ It’s my turn to comfort you now, Prince Asriel. _

A purple glow forms on his cheeks as you wipe off the tear streaks, “Th-Thanks for that, human. It surprised me, but it did make me feel better.” He sniffed once and rubbed his eye, “You don’t see people around he-here do that often. After all, I'm sure Sans told you the rule of the underground.”

You definitely remember that. Hell, Temmie already told you before Sans did.

* * *

> _ “But remember, it-it’s  _ ** _kill or be killed _ ** _ in this place. If you want to survive, you must know how to fight back when a monster attacks.” _
> 
> _ “it’s  _ ** _kill or be killed_ ** _ ‘round here, kiddo. if you can’t fight back, then you're  _ _ dry bones _ _ .” _

* * *

“I know. But,” You cup his hand with both of yours. “It doesn’t always have to be that way. I mean,” You stand up and spread out your arms. “I'm already living proof of my own words, aren’t I?”

He chuckles, “Touché. Anyway, thank you, hu-” He pauses, and then looks at you and asks, “Err, can I ask you something?”

“Yeah?”

“What’s your name? All this time I’ve only called you ‘human’. I want to change that.”

You smile. You can see that Asriel is growing closer to you. You put a palm on your chest and say, “My name’s Chara.”

“Chara, huh? That’s a nice name.” He stands up as well. “My name is Asriel, prince of the monsters!” You can’t help but giggle at him swelling with pride.  _ I swear, he’s too precious for this rotten world. _

“Nice to meet you, Asriel.” You reach out and ruffle the fur of his head. The purple glow immediately brightens back up and he moves away from you. “Chaaraaaa! Don’t pet me!”

You hold a hand over your mouth to muffle your laughter. “I'm sorry, you're just so adorable.”

“I'm not, idiot!” He huffs. You finally manage to get a hold on yourself and stop your giggling. You feel happy to make your first actual friend around here other than Temmie. You wouldn’t really call Sans your “friend” either; “accomplice” would be better for now. But you can talk, laugh and confide in Asriel casually without having to be wary or terrified of him every second.  _ That would be enough for me to call him a friend. _

“Hrmmmm…?” You look behind you. Temmie has finally stirred awake, and is lazily opening his eyes. You kneel down and look at him, “Morning, sleeping beauty.”

“Chara? What happened?” He asks.

You shake your head, “Nothing much, really.” You scoop him up to put him back into your pack. You three have spent quite some time here, and you really should be moving on. You look back at Asriel and say, “It was nice talking to you, but I need to head onward. So long.”

“Good luck.” Asriel begins to step back, but suddenly, his fur stands up and his eyes widen, as if a brilliant idea has sparked in his mind. “Wait, Chara!”

You spin around to look back at him, “What’s up?”

“You're most likely going to have to fight against Alphys and/or Undyne soon, so…” He fiddles around with his fingers. “Before you leave, how about I teach you some of their attacks before you face off against them? That way, you can be prepared and not caught off guard.”

You are very surprised at his idea, to say the least. First he spared you from Alphys, and now he wants to aid you in your inevitable battle against her? You don’t understand why he’s doing this for you, the key to his and other monsters’ freedom from this gilded prison. Despite that, you nod, “Sure.”

“Okay,” You nearly tumble back in surprise as white stars appeared above Asriel. “Let us begin!”

* * *

**[Enemy Approaching!]**

“Wait, a battle?!” Temmie shrieks. You put your pack down and pet Temmie’s head to calm him, “Don’t freak out, Temmie. Asriel’s just going to train me before we fight Alphys. I’ll put you out of the fight, so that you won’t be injured.”

“Train you?” He sounds just as confused as you are, but he complies and protests no further. You look back at Asriel, who’s in an offensive stance as well.

“Since I'm the one who started this battle, you get to make the first move, Chara.” Asriel informs. “But don’t expect me to fight you with kid gloves!”

**[❤️ Check]**

**Asriel Dreemurr – 28 ATK 15 DEF**

**Prince of monsterkind. Liked to call himself the “Absolute God of Hyperdeath!”, but that is behind him now.**

“Very clever, always knowing what your enemy is before charging in. Now, have at you!” The stars in his hands changed into blazing fireballs, which he promptly unleashes on you. You skip gracefully away from them, with only one close call.

As you dodge around, you suddenly realize something.  _ Asgore used fire attacks on me too. He and Asriel are both goats as well, and have similar names. _ A suspicion gnaws at your stomach, but you can’t afford to think of miscellaneous things right now, when you have a fight to, well, fight.

“Golly, you're a natural.” Asriel compliments. “Then again, you’ve probably already been long hardened by all the other monsters that fought you before.”  _ Not wrong. _

“Okay, now here comes the main point of this battle.” Asriel points a finger at your chest, and suddenly, you can see your soul, or at least, an image of it. It pulsates with a bright red color. “Listen carefully, Alphys normally turns her targets **green** before attacking. Watch,” Asriel fires a beam at your chest. It doesn’t hurt, but like he said, your soul is now green. The image disappears, but a green glow surrounds your body. “As long as you are **green**, **_you can’t move_**!”

You try to take a step, but just like he says, you are frozen in place. You can’t move an inch.  _ This is unfair! How am I supposed to dodge attacks then? _

“Now, I know what you're thinking: ‘how the hell am I supposed to survive against Alphys if I can’t move?’ So take this.” Asriel raises a hand, and magic concentrates in his open palm and forms into a large shield. Curiously enough, it’s in the shape of a star, but it does have a more humble violet color. This prince is certainly skilled in using magic; you’ve seen monsters create attacks out of thin air, but creating a large physical object for use is something else. He chucks the shield at you, “Catch!”

You barely catch the shield as it flies toward you. It’s not really heavy, and yet, it’s nearly big enough to cover your entire body. “So…what do I do with this?”

“You block attacks with it, idiot!” Stars formed above his arms again. “En garde!”

Rings of stars appeared all around you, before they began moving in one by one. Thankfully, they aren’t lightning fast, but still fast enough to keep you on your toes. You hold your shield up at the right place, blocking the stars before they hit you. Unfortunately, you turn around just a little too late for the last attack, and your nearly lose your balance as the star collides with your back. _ Damn, it’s like someone slammed a bat on me… _

“Oof, that would’ve been a full no-hit if you were faster.” Asriel points a finger at your chest again, and out comes the projection of your green soul. “So, do you think you’ve got the ropes, or do you need a few more practice rounds?”

You rub your back as you consider. Frankly, you’ve been so used to hopping between attacks that not being able to move is a really jarring change. You straighten back up and say, “I say we should practice a few more times.”

Asriel shrugs. “Okay, you're the one who said so.” Magic flames burst into life around him again. “Let’s continue.”

With a nod, you and Asriel spar once again. With each wave of attacks he throws at you, you become more familiar with this new form of fighting, until you can pull off no-hits after no-hits. Finally, you squat down and pant; you can safely say that the training paid off fully.

“H-Hey, Asriel, I think we’ve done enough. I'm pretty good with this new mode now, don’t you think?” You reach for your pack and bring out a Nicecream; you are starting to get low on HP, and you need to restore it before you die from tripping on a rock.

“Yeah, I can certainly see that.” The soul projection appears once again, and with one shot, it turns back to red, and the green glow around you disappears.  _ Finally, I can move again! _ “Guess this training paid off, huh?”

“Sure did.” Magical energy courses through you and you stand back up. Monster food always gets rid of exhaustion very quickly.

“See? I knew it’ll help!” Asriel puffs his chest in pride. “Let’s wrap this up, Chara.”

**[❤️ Spare]**

* * *

As soon as the battle has ended, Asriel walks up to you and gives you a pat on your shoulder. “Well done, partner. You're a natural!”

You smile at his compliments. “Thank you, Asriel, for doing all of this for me.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, first you wanted to spare me from Alphys, then you chatted with me, and now you're actively helping me on my journey.” You run your fingers through your hair. “You're doing all this for a human, the last thing you need to be free.”

“Chara, c’mon,” He puts his hands on your shoulders again and holds them firmly. “You're not ‘a human’ to me anymore, are you?”

“I guess not. It’s been nice spending time with you, Asriel. Thank you.”

“No problem.” He pulls away from you. “You should get going now.”

“Yeah, I know.” You sling on your pack. “Let’s hope I can survive.”

“I'm sure you will.” He turns around and begins to walk away, but he looks back one last time, this time with a sincere smile. “Hey Chara, don’t kill, and don’t be killed, alright?”

_ Don’t kill and don’t be killed,  _ he’s twisting the rule of the underground into something more hopeful, and basically what you’ve been striving for throughout your entire journey. With a smile, you nod, “I will.”

With that, you part ways with your first friend in the underground. You are very grateful you’ve made such a great friend, and you won’t be forgetting him anytime soon.


End file.
